First Lady of the United States
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First Lady of the United States is the unofficial title of the hostess of the White House. Because this position is traditionally filled by the wife of the President of the United States, the title is sometimes taken to apply only to the wife of a sitting president. However, several women other than wives of presidents, have served as first lady. This situation has arisen due to the president being a bachelor or widower, or when the wife of the president is unable or unwilling to fulfill the duties of the first lady herself. In these cases, the position has been filled by a female relative or friend of the president.
As of 2006, no woman (married or single) has served as President. A female President could serve as her own official hostess, and it is not known what title would be applied to a President's husband, who might also serve as the host of the White House. There have been many female state governors over the years; their spouses are typically referred to as "the First Man" or "First Gentleman."
The current first lady is Laura Bush. Some famous former first ladies include Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, Dolley Madison, Jacqueline Kennedy, Eleanor Roosevelt, Betty Ford, Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush, and Hillary Rodham Clinton.
The wife of the Vice President of the United States is sometimes referred to as the Second Lady of the United States, but this title is much less common. The term "first lady" is also used to describe the wife of other government chief executives or a woman who has acted as a leading symbol for some activity, for example referring to Maria Shriver as the "First Lady of California", or Mary J Blige as the "First Lady of Soul".
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[edit] Origins of the title
Although the words first lady had previously been used in combination before, their use as a title to describe the spouse or hostess of an executive began in the United States.
In the early days of the republic, there was no generally accepted title for the wife of the president. Many early first ladies expressed their own preference for how they were addressed, including the use of such titles as "Lady", "Queen", "Mrs. President", and "Mrs. Presidentress". Martha Washington was often referred to as "Lady Washington".
According to legend, Dolley Madison was referred to as "first lady" in 1849 at her funeral in a eulogy delivered by President Zachary Taylor. However, no written record of this eulogy exists.
Sometime between 1849 and 1877, the title began being used in social circles in Washington D.C.. The earliest known written evidence of the title is from the November 3 1863 diary entry of William Howard Russell, in which he referred to gossip about ‘the first Lady in the Land’.
The title first gained nationwide recognition in 1877, when newspaper journalist Mary Clemmer Ames referred to Lucy Webb Hayes as "the first lady of the land" while reporting on the inauguration of Rutherford B. Hayes. Mrs. Hayes was a tremendously popular first lady, and the frequent reporting on her activities helped spread use of the title outside Washington.
A popular 1911 comedic play by playwright Charles Nirdlinger titled "The First Lady in the Land" cemented use of the title by the general public, and it first entered the dictionary in 1934.
Use of the title to refer to the wife or hostess of a chief executive later spread from the United States to other nations, often without translation of "first lady" into the native language of those nations.
In government jargon "First Lady of the United States" is sometimes acronymized as "FLOTUS," similar to the President of the United States being referred to as "POTUS".
[edit] Role of the First Lady
The first lady is not an elected position, carries no official duties, and brings no salary. Nonetheless, she attends many official ceremonies and functions of state either along with or in place of the president. The first lady also frequently participates in humanitarian and charitable work. Furthermore, many have taken an active role in campaigning for the president with whom they are associated. Hillary Rodham Clinton took the role one step further when she was, for a time, given a formal job in the Clinton administration to develop reforms to the health care system.
The term is also used to describe the wife of other government chief executives or a woman who has acted as a leading symbol for some activity, for example referring to Maria Shriver as the "First Lady of California", or Mary J Blige as the "First Lady of Soul".
The wife of the Vice President of the United States is sometimes referred to as the Second Lady of the United States, however this title is less common than first lady. In Michigan, the Governor Jennifer Granholm's husband is referred to as First Gentleman.
If the United States were to have a female president, there would be no First Lady per se. It is presumed that the husband of a female President would act as an analogous "First Gentleman." This is the situation portrayed in the fictitious television series Commander In Chief, in which President Mackenzie Allen's husband Rod Calloway is titled as "First Gentleman," but President Allen's mother ultimately joins the First Family and acts as the official hostess at the "White House."
[edit] First Ladies of the United States
The following women have been recognized by The National First Ladies' Library as "First Lady":
[edit] Non-spouse "First Lady" or "White House hostess"
The following women are known to have acted as hostess on behalf of the first lady when she was otherwise unable or unwilling:
| First Lady | Relation to President |
|---|---|
| Maria Jefferson Eppes | daughter of widower Thomas Jefferson |
| Eliza Monroe Hay | daughter of James Monroe |
| Letitia Tyler Semple | daughter of widower John Tyler |
| Mary Elizabeth Taylor Bliss | daughter of Zachary Taylor |
| Mary Abigail Fillmore | daughter of Millard Fillmore |
| Abby Kent Means | aunt of Jane Means Appleton Pierce |
| Harriet Lane | niece of James Buchanan |
| Martha Johnson Patterson | daughter of Andrew Johnson |
| Jennie Hobart | wife of William McKinley's vice president, Garret Hobart |
| Helen Taft Manning | daughter of William Howard Taft |
| Margaret Woodrow Wilson | daughter of widower Woodrow Wilson |
| Helen Woodrow Bones | cousin of widower Woodrow Wilson |
| Susan Ford | daughter of Gerald Ford |
| Chelsea Victoria Clinton | daughter of Bill Clinton |
[edit] See also
- First Lady - Use of the title outside the United States.
- Second Lady of the United States - Wife of the Vice President of the United States.
- First Ladies National Historic Site - In Canton, Ohio.
[edit] External links
- http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/list/058_flal.html
- Office of the First Lady. Retrieved on October 7, 2005.
- First Lady's Gallery. The White House. Retrieved on October 7, 2005.
- The National First Ladies' Library. Retrieved on October 7, 2005.
- Paper on the role of the first lady and the influence she holds over the presidentde:First Lady
fr:Première dame des États-Unis he:הגברת הראשונה של ארצות הברית pt:Primeira-Dama dos Estados Unidos da América simple:First Lady of the United States sv:USA:s första dam vi:Đệ nhất Phu nhân Hoa Kỳ
